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With embedded software providing more than half of features in many products, I'm looking for info about practices and technology for managing software binaries as part of a BOM and how that relates to upstream use of Software Configuration Management -- for both engineering and production BOM.
For example, consider a consumer electronics product with several microcontrollers, DSPs, and flash chips. The BOM lists every physical part that ends up in the retail box, including PC boards. The boards have microcontrollers that typically use an OS binary (probably supplied by a third party), binaries compiled from the manufacturer's application codebase (easily millions of lines of code these days), and probably more than a few binaries generated from third party and open source software. Similarly, there will be non-executable data to be loaded onto the DSPs and flash. The software may need to vary according to model, market, options, etc.
Tracking versions of each separate binary file loaded to each processor or storage device in each unit is important for the same reasons as tracking the supplier and rev of an electronic component.
I've looked but haven't found any publications about this. CM systems engineering standards (e.g., ISO 10007 and 12207) call for system-scope CM, but no details are provided.
Would appreciate hearing about how this is done and pointers for publications and best practices.
Thanks in advance.
For example, consider a consumer electronics product with several microcontrollers, DSPs, and flash chips. The BOM lists every physical part that ends up in the retail box, including PC boards. The boards have microcontrollers that typically use an OS binary (probably supplied by a third party), binaries compiled from the manufacturer's application codebase (easily millions of lines of code these days), and probably more than a few binaries generated from third party and open source software. Similarly, there will be non-executable data to be loaded onto the DSPs and flash. The software may need to vary according to model, market, options, etc.
Tracking versions of each separate binary file loaded to each processor or storage device in each unit is important for the same reasons as tracking the supplier and rev of an electronic component.
I've looked but haven't found any publications about this. CM systems engineering standards (e.g., ISO 10007 and 12207) call for system-scope CM, but no details are provided.
Would appreciate hearing about how this is done and pointers for publications and best practices.
Thanks in advance.